Reviews by Irie:

A - Incredibly dark and beautiful. A short browned head with low lacing. I love the fact that it was from the cask so the bartender basically pumped it out of the tap. Smooth pour too.

S - A nice smokey smell with hints of nuts and other things I can't name. Mostly just smokey and crisp.

T - Excellent. The cask temp was perfect for the porter. It was smooth and you could taste all of the flavor. It had a very nice smokiness that rolled into a bite as it went down. I don't know how to say it, but somehow it was very complex but simple at the same time. I think that would mean a great balance which it did have.

M - The natural carbonation from the cask was perfect. Just the right tingle without interrupting any flavor. The porter still seemed lite and easy thanks to the warmer temp so everything balanced out nice.

D - I could drink it all night. As lite as the beer tasted it still sat heavily and warmly in my stomach which I liked. The balance of the nuts and hops and everything else was so nice I could drink this with no remorse.

I loved this beer. Got it at the Magnolia pub here in San Francisco. Straight out of the cask and into my glass. This was one of the most balanced porters I've ever had. Will drink again, without a doubt.

More User Reviews:

Still brown pour from the cask. Smells of English yeast and not much else.

Taste is mildly sweet, old aged wood, mild chocolate malt, yeasty mustyness. Really comes across as an English porter far more than an American, but maybe having it on cask was what really is making me lean in this direction. Some definite smoky notes from it, not the smokiest beer, but about the smokiest non rauchbier or without the name "smoked" in the title of the beer.

There isn't much texture or viscosity to the beer, but that doesn't make it any quicker of a drink. Sometimes challenging in a good way, sometimes not, but it was an interesting pathway!

This arrived very dark, with little head to speak of. The lacing was minimal as well.

The smell was subdued and almost plain, but the taste was anything but that. It really sticks amongst other porters that I've had recently, mostly because of an almost candy-like property. Roasted properties are in there too, but take a back seat.

The mouthfeel is lighter than expected but remains pleasing. Drinkability follows along similar lines.

Enjoyed on tap at Magnolia. Awesome porter, although served on the cold side. Black with some brown head and brown lace.Roast aromas rght there. Bold flavours, with great coffee yet I am not a coffee drinker. Mild 30 IBU. Creamy big mouthfeel, though offset by somewhat much carbonation. Good drinkability. Some expresso.

Nice deep black color with a tan head that lasted. As seems typical with this brew pubs beers, lacing is sparse. Subtle roasted aroma is inviting. Ditto on the taste profile. Roasted flavor is understated, good solid malty backbone with a touch of hops. This is a porter to enjoy, a great quaffer, and cask to boot. Has a decidedly English feel to it. Nice.

A: The pour is a very dark brown, almost black, with some reddish highlights and a khaki colored head.

S: Very roasty, especially for a porter, with perhaps a bit of burnt sugar. There are some nice coffee aromas and I would say some bitter dark chocolate is in there as well. Maybe even a hint of licorice.

T: Once again, an intense roasted malt character to the beer. There's a moderate bitterness associated with that and a muted chocolate flavor. A pretty decent amount of coffee, too. This beer seems fairly dry.

M: The body is medium and so is the carbonation. As I said, pretty dry on the back end.

D: I'd actually consider drinking this again. I like this beer quite a bit, probably one of the better Magnolia beers.

This beer was served from cask at the brewery. There was little/no head on the porter, which saddened me and the color was really that of a deep english stout. The smell didn't give away much about the porter other than to give hints of that deep coffee taste that is now famous in West Coast porters. This beer shows itself to you upon tasting it; however. It tastes absolutely amazing and seems to have seasons in your mouth turning from coffee to chocolate to deep porter yeast. I firmly recommend trynig this, one of Magnolia's three or four best beers.

This is a review of Magnolia’s Cole Porter porter brewed with Candy Cap mushrooms, on cask. Whew!

Pretty awesome combination.

Pours a coffee-cola color, minus foam. There’s an enormous soy sauce aroma on this—a soy sauce bomb? I get a mouthful of soy sauce and sautéed mushrooms as I sip, in conjunction with a muted bitterness. It’s a little off-kilter and needs some time to mellow out and work together but it has potential.

I (Wiseman Nick) split this with Wisewoman Liz yesterday afternoon. The following review was written using notes.

Served in a 20oz. nonic glass.

Appearance: Pitch black body with ashy-brown head on top. Though completely opaque, the body looked a little thin - similar to an Irish dry stout. The head was small and bubbly, but showed great retention and drug stingy lace.

Drinkabilty: While I loved the taste of this beer, I don't know if I'd want a whole twenty ounces. The taste felt a little overpowering, and the feel bordered on harsh and acidic. I was very happy to split this, but I wouldn't order another.

A little dark in appearance for the style. There are hints of deep brown at the edges, but it's mostly black. It's got a thick, very dark brown had that looks pretty though.

Lots of roast in the nose; Smells like day-old coffee. A little too much smoke, though; it's slightly over-powering. There are faint chocolate and raisin flavors that would be richer if not for the smokiness.

Very heavy on the smoky taste; like a half porter/half rauchbier.

It's a little over-carbonated for the style.

I'd buy it for something different every once in a while, but it's not really what I look for in a porter.